


Cake Anyone?

by Adi_Bug



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: F/M, cute fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-14
Updated: 2015-01-14
Packaged: 2018-03-07 05:41:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,054
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3163352
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Adi_Bug/pseuds/Adi_Bug
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In the brand new Republic City, they celebrate Omashu Day, a day for remembering the love the two shared. Katara and Zuko attend together and Zuko plans on giving Katara something special.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Cake Anyone?

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, so this is sort of an AU where Aang and Katara never got together.

Today was Omashu Day and though Zuko dreaded it, Katara loved it, and he would do anything to make her happy. She pulled him along, smiling and laughing and truly enjoying herself, telling him the story of how she learned of Oma and Shu and how she brought their story to the light. Slowly, Zuko found himself enjoying it as well, watching his girlfriend relax for the first time since the Hundred Year War had ended. They had met up with Team Avatar half way through the day and they all moved as a group around the festival. The only time Zuko had forgotten how good it felt to be free was when he saw his exgirlfriend Mai.

Though she seemed happy (as happy as she could be) with Tai-Lee who was bouncing all around Mai, he could tell she was upset by Katara holding Zuko's hand. When she caught his eye, she smiled and pulled Tai-Lee close and kissed her gently. The excitable girl squealed and pulled Mai closer.

"I'm glad Mai found someone," Zuko said as he pointed towards the two. Katara looked and smiled as well.

"I am too. They both deserve happiness."

Later in the night, as darkness fell, there were fireworks across the sky. The firebenders made them shift into shapes with the help of Earth benders who moved the elements about. After, Team Avatar sat in the main room, listening to everyone recount silly tales of their childhoods, laughing. Zuko asked Sokka and Aang to come help him with something for Katara, so they all stood and left with an air of secrecy.

They stood in Zuko's room, staring at the necklace in Zuko's hands.

"You know what this means by Water Tribe customs, right?" Sokka asked, leveling Zuko with a serious look.

"Yeah... I do. That's why I wanted to ask you if I can give this to her," he asked, looking at Sokka. His amber eyes held a vulnerability Sokka had never seen before, and he understood the depth of his feelings for Katara. Aang stared at the necklace in Zuko's hand; it held all four elements, obviously painstakingly burned onto the thick wood ring.

"It's beautiful, Zuko," Aang remarked. Zuko turned his head, blushing slightly at the compliment. He held the almost weightless object in his hands, staring at the exact shade of blue ribbon he had found. He knew it would fit perfectly around her mother's necklace, he'd checked. The ring itself was white poplar, each elemental symbol burned into the four quadrants, their symbols created with intense precision. He smiled, tucking it inside a small pouch. Sokka and Aang bowed their head slightly before leaving the room. Zuko followed them and made his way towards the living room where Katara sat clearing up the dishes from that night with the help of Suki.

"Katara?" he asked tentatively. He fiddled with the pouch in his hands, barely meeting Katara's eyes.

"Yes Zuko?" She turned to face him, her smile wide and genuine.

"Can we talk?" 

"Of course..." He stepped closer to her watching her eyes fill with disappointment.  _She thinks I'm going to dump her_ , he thought, shocked.

"What's wro- Oh! Is that for me?" Zuko handed the pouch to her quickly, wanting to make her pain disappear. Zuko hid his face in embarrassment under his shaggy hair. From beneath his hair, he watched her slowly shake the necklace out into her hand. Her eyes widened as she registered what sat in her palm.

"Zuko... Is this-- are you proposing?" She looked up at him, tears brimming her beautiful blue eyes. She stepped closer to him, a smile turning up the corners of her mouth.

"Yes. Katara, I love you more than anything. You balance me out and cool me off when I need it. You ground me and make me a better person. I want to be your husband. We can live in Republic City, or where ever you want, but I wanted to keep this tradition for you. I knew you would never replace your mother's necklace... So I made this one especially for you. And I did make it. It took hours of intense burning with my fingers and I _burnt_ my fingers a couple of times but--"

"Zuko, of course I'll marry you."  Katara hugged him tightly, feeling at home in his arms. His smile matched hers and Zuko hugged her back tightly.

"The necklace is beautiful, by the way. Thank you so much." She pulled away and held out the necklace for him to place on her neck.

"I'm glad you like it." He unclasped it and moved around to put it on her. Her fingers immediately settled over it. The wood was rough compared to the gentle stone her mother's necklace.

"It fits perfectly around my mother's necklace," she remarked, touching the necklaces gently again. Her boyfriend, no, her _fiancee_ , just beamed. She hugged him again, whispering, "I love you," as she held him tightly. His heart swelled, overflowing with love for Katara. He held her close, returning to sentiment.

From the other side of the room, there was hooting and clapping. The two pulled apart, blushing darkly as the rest of Team Avatar beamed. Minus Toph, who held a straight face like normal.

"Congratulations, Katara. I'm so happy for you," Sokka said, moving to hug his sister. "Even if he is gonna be the Fire Lord." It was a stage whisper and everyone let out a The rest of their friends did too, even Toph, who whispered in Katara's ear, "Congrats, Katara. You guys deserve it."

"I've known Katara since she arrived on Kyoshi Island and got everything destroyed by Zuko, who made a _lasting_ impression on me," Suki said, holding her glass up in a toast. Everyone chuckled awkwardly at the memory. "But he's proved himself as worthy, for Team Avatar and for Katara. I wish you both the best of luck." They all responded with cheers, Zuko turning to Katara to pull her closer, kissing her gently. Another round of cheers went up and the two smiled, pulling away. Zuko watched Katara relax into him, finally at peace with everything around her. She was finally content and that made Zuko happy as well.

For the first time in his life, Zuko understood what love was.

* * *

 


End file.
